Becoming a realtor as a career?

[Julian Montes]

Is it a realistic goal for me to become a realtor right out of high school (currently in 11th grade)? I have the opportunity of going to college (being a finance major to work in RE), working a job (maybe), and being a realtor, but I feel my time would be well spent being a realtor full-time and getting valuable experience in the real estate arena. I could do all three, however, I feel I would be juggling too many things at once while having a lack of focus. I am aware I wont be successful automatically, but I am willing to put in the work and market myself. After becoming a realtor I plan to invest in rental properties. 

[David M.]

@Julian Montes

That’s a tough one to answer. Honestly, life/career is about having options and experience. Perhaps think of it this way— if you forgo’ed your education but then realized that real estate agent wasn’t for you, could you realistically go back for your degree? Would it be worth it for you to get your degree and maybe work in the private sector to gain one sort of experience (and possibly network) and switch over to real estate once you got that going. Unlike a salaried job, being a Realtor is really about “who you know” (or who will refer you). Otherwise, without clients who want you to help them list or buy a property, you aren’t going to be making a commission.

In short, think about what options you “open” or “close/delay” with each decision. Then you need to decide for yourself what works best.

PS. Remember, the National Assoctiation of Realtors’ statistic is something like more than 75% of new agents don’t make it their first year. So either you need to hang in there or catch on quick.